Over 100 Ways to Pass the Time
by Miakemi
Summary: A collection of one-shots / drabbles for the DC/MK cast loosely written around a 100 theme challenge. It will hopefully be updated at least once a week. I will try to do more than just canon pairings when I think it fits. Rated T in case of later chapter.
1. Welcome to the Class

100 Ways to Pass the Time

By: DarkWolfYoukai860

AN: So, I recently decided I was going to abandon fanfiction writing completely, but along comes a 100 theme challenge on DA. Seeing as I'm not very good at drawing, I decided this would be a good writing exercise to both explore the characters of Detective Conan / Magic Kaito and to get a better handle on characterization. Therefore, forgive me for any OOC in this collection unless the chapter is specifically stated to be a crack fic.

Theme 1: Introduction

Words: 712

Main Characters: DB, Ai, Conan, and …

**Disclaimer:** I don't own DC / MK and I don't plan on gaining ownership through this entire series of fics. DC / MK is the property of Gosho Aoyama.

**Welcome to the Class**

A small, bespectacled boy sighed as the warning bell rang. Today would be another monotonous mess of elementary level schooling that he hated to have to repeat. Sometimes keeping his elementary student cover was mentally exhausting in its own way.

"What's wrong, Conan-kun?" a high pitched voice asked from behind. Conan turned towards the voice, knowing its owner without needing to look.

"It's nothing, Ayumi-chan," he answered with a smile.

Ayumi smiled back but any further conversation was interrupted by a large, heavy-set boy, Genta, who seemed to notice that Ayumi was getting a little too close to Conan, "Hey, did you guys hear there's going to be another new transfer student?"

"Yeah, it's so exciting! Maybe he'll join the Detective Boys too." A smaller boy, Mitsuhiko, answered excitedly.

Conan laughed to himself. It seemed that any new transfer student was doomed to be dragged into their group. After all, when he had first met Ayumi, Genta, and Mitsuhiko he had been dragged everywhere with them. The three hadn't gotten the hint that he didn't want to be part of their group. Even though his feelings had gradually changed and he thought of them as friends now, he had always thought their approach was a little forceful. He wondered if Ai had felt the same.

"What'll you do if he doesn't want to join? After all, not everyone is like Edogawa-kun or me," a decidedly lower female voice asked. Conan was surprised Ai Haibara had entered the room without his noticing.

"Of course he'll want to. What's cooler than being a detective?" Genta asked. He actually almost sounded surprised by the notion that anyone would not want to join their group.

Ai shrugged, "Not everyone feels that way."

"I wonder what his name is," Mitsuhiko said as he sat in his chair. The final school bell was about to ring.

"I don't know… I bet he's a nice person though," Ayumi answered.

Conan couldn't help but smile. Even with being involved in numerous murder mysterious, Ayumi still believed that most people were good. It was nice that the children hadn't been traumatized by the sight of so many dead bodies over the months.

The conversation ended as the school bell finally rang and Kobayashi-sensei entered the room. She looked slightly flustered, and Conan briefly wondered if Inspector Shiratori had driven her to work that morning.

"Hello everyone!" she greeted with a smile, "I'm sure you've all heard that we have another new student joining us today."

The excited murmurs from the class confirmed the teacher's statement. All the students were looking towards the door, in an attempt to be the first to see the new student. Conan noted that he and Ai were the only ones that didn't care that much.

The teacher seemed to realize that she couldn't stretch their new classmate's introduction much longer or her young charges would become too wild. They were already fidgeting in their seats.

"Karasuwa-kun, please come in and introduce yourself," Kobayashi-sensei called. The door opened slowly as a child a little taller than Mitsuhiko entered. His slightly longer than shoulder-length, unusually silver hair made him look almost feminine.

Conan felt a chill down his spine at the similarity between this student and his murderous adversary. This student was even wearing black. Droplets of sweat started to form as the kanji for crow appeared in the first part of the kid's last name as he wrote on the board. The child's full name was Jin Karasuwa.

A quick glance to Ai indicated that Conan's suspicions were equal or doubled in the ex Black Organization member. How Gin had ended up taking APTX-4869 would remain a mystery to them, but the danger was more than enough to push the thought from their minds.

Conan froze as Gin's eyes swept the room and landed on him. The Black Org. agent held his startled gaze for a moment before looking to Ai. When Gin's gaze looked back to Conan, his eyes held a maliciously triumphant 'found you' look.

Conan gasped as he realized Gin had used such an obvious name to reinforce recognition and make him and Ai certain that Jin was actually Gin. No matter how many elementary students there were that looked like a young Shiho Miyano or a young Shinichi Kudo, it would be easy to find the real two if they showed knowledge of Jin's true identity.

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AN: Wow, that was fun. I should write one-shots more often. They're so much easier. I would make this its own fic, but I have no idea where to go with it. Presumably, Gin is still working for the BO. If anyone wants to write more of this, ask me. Also, the name Jin might sound slightly different from Gin when pronounced in Japanese, but I thought it worked well enough.

I hope everyone's decently in character. Please R&R.

PS: Help with a better title would be appreciated.


	2. Cat Mishap

100 Ways to Pass the Time

DarkWolfYoukai860

Theme 23: Cat

Words: 253

Main Characters: Kaito

**Cat Mishap**

A cool breeze fluttered the messy brown hair of Kaito Kuroba as he sat in a park bench near a small pond. The high school student was busy thinking of his next heist note. Those notes weren't the easiest things to write, after all.

After twenty minutes of thinking to no avail, he placed his notepad on the space beside him and looked at the sky. His thoughts soon wandered to what kind of pranks he could pull on his classmate, Saguru Hakuba. The detective needed a little loosening up, anyway.

It wasn't long, however, before Kaito was startled from his thoughts by a loud meow. He turned toward the noise to see a small, gray cat staring at him expectantly. Kaito smiled and scratched the cat behind the ears, "Hello, there."

The cat purred and rubbed against Kaito before jumping from the bench and running off toward the pond. Kaito shrugged and again picked up his notepad. That note had to be done soon if he wanted to steal the gem on the night of the full moon.

He hadn't even marked the page before he felt a paw on his leg. The thief looked down at the cat and nearly jumped on top of the bench, a yelp just escaping his lips. The cat had a fish in its jaws.

Confused, the cat jumped onto the bench and dropped the fish near Kaito who jumped from the bench and hurried as far away from the area as possible thinking, '_Why did it have to be a fish?_'

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AN: This one was a little harder to write. I love Kaito, but I don't think I did him justice in this chapter. Of course, I did include his fear of fish.


	3. Thank You from Heaven

100 Ways to Pass the Time

DarkWolfYoukai860

Theme 7: Heaven

Words: 437

Characters: Conan and Akemi Miyano

**Thank You from Heaven**

Conan surveyed his surroundings in confusion. One moment, he had been investigating the scene of a murder, the next moment he was in a very strange meadow with a cliff nearby.

"Kudo-kun," a soft voice called to him from the direction of the cliff. Conan walked toward the voice, wondering who would call him by his true name in a place like this.

As he walked closer, a bridge with a figure standing in the middle came into view. Conan squinted, trying to make out the person on the bridge, only to find himself shocked by the familiar face of Akemi Miyano, Ai's sister.

Common sense told the detective that this was nothing more than a dream, but curiosity got the best of him and he quickened his pace to the edge of the bridge. He started to step onto the bridge but was stopped by Akemi.

"You can't cross this bridge until you're dead," she explained with a sad smile.

Conan was silent. He didn't believe in the supernatural. There was no way a ghost was standing before him in this place between life and death.

As if she saw Conan's skepticism, Akemi spoke again, "You don't have to believe I'm here. I just wanted to thank you for protecting my sister. I was worried about what would happen to her after I was gone."

"I should have been able to protect you as well," Conan answered. Whether this was a dream or not, he would act as if it were real.

Akemi shook her head, "I knew I would likely die. I just had to take the chance to save my sister."

"But still, I…"

He was cut off fairly quickly, "There was nothing you could have done without revealing yourself. Now, you must return to the living world. Good luck, Kudo Shinichi."

The scenery around him faded as Conan began to regain his consciousness, the unmistakable yell of Ran filling his ears.

"Dad, you hit him way too hard!"

"He shouldn't be poking around a crime scene so eagerly," Kogoro answered, defensively.

"Ran-kun is right, Mouri-san. You usually don't knock him out like that," Megure-keibu interjected.

"Eh, he's waking up!" Ran said, forgetting her father's idiocy as she saw Conan's eyes open. "Are you ok, Conan-kun?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Uncle just hit me harder than he meant to," Conan answered, his thoughts elsewhere. He still wasn't sure if his dream had been real or not. Would it be cruel to tell Ai about it? Should he tell Ai about it? No... he wouldn't tell her. After all, Akemi had only come to thank him; not to give her sister a message.

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AN: So I thought of this a while ago but never thought I would write it. Don't ask me why Kogoro wasn't arrested for child abuse. My own question is why Megure addresses Ran with the –kun honorific instead of with –chan. I'm sure I heard him do it before in the anime. Agasa does the same thing with Ai. If Megure really does call Ran 'Ran-chan,' please disregard my mistake.


	4. Load

100 Ways to Pass the Time

DarkWolfYoukai860

Theme 70: 67%

Words: 213

Characters: Ai

Note: OOC warning.

**Load**

Ai stared at the computer screen in anticipation. It was so close.

**64%**

Why did it have to be so slow? She couldn't wait any longer. This was an urgent matter.

**65%**

She almost felt ready to cry. If this movie didn't download soon, she'd have to wait another whole day to know what happened.

**66%**

She bit her lip. Conan wouldn't be happy if he knew she wasn't working on the antidote. Oh well; it didn't matter. She had a prototype that was in the works. Now, she should be given a time to relax and enjoy her movie. If it would download quicker, anyway.

**67%**

She had to do something to take her mind off of this download. Watching it only felt like it took longer. What else could she do?

Suddenly, a crack of thunder sounded to signal a storm coming. No. She could not turn off the computer while she was downloading. It would have to endure the storm.

Her hope was short lived as the lab went pitch black.

"NOOOOOO!" she yelled in frustration. She'd have to start the download all over again.

"Are you ok, Ai-kun?" a call from the professor echoed down the stairs.

"Yes," she answered and felt her way to and up the stairs.

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AN: This was inspired by my downloading of the 13th movie of DC. I was wondering which them I should try next and, coincidentally, my download was at 67% complete. Of course, my computer didn't turn off in the middle.

Also, Ai was meant to be OOC. For some reason, she was the only one I could think of to be downloading. Don't ask me why… o.O


	5. Bonus 1: Welcome to the Detective Boys

100+ Ways to Pass the Time

DarkWolfYoukai860

Theme: ------

Words: 634

Characters: Ai, DB, Conan, Jin (AKA: Gin)

AN: This is in the "Introduction Universe" with shrunken Gin. Possibly minor OOC.

Bonus 1: Welcome to the Detective Boys

Ayumi smiled as lunch break began. Now they could talk to the new student! She wondered what kind of person he was as she met with the other Detective Boys. Ai and Conan were mysteriously absent from their group, and she wondered where they could have gone.

"Karasuwa-kun! Do you want to come eat with us?" she called as the group pulled out their bentos and began to eat.

Jin Karasuwa just stared at the group. It disappointed Ayumi that he didn't look at all interested. In fact, the silver-haired transfer student turned away from them and was about to exit the classroom.

"How rude! He's worse than Haibara was when she first got here," Genta muttered angrily as he took a bite of his beloved unagi and rice.

"That's mean, Genta-kun. Haibara wasn't bad; she was just shy and quiet," Mitsuhiko chimed in.

Ayumi noticed that Jin looked mildly interested now as he paused at the door.

"I guess… It _was_ pretty amazing how she used that gun to stop that counterfeiter, though. I wonder where she learned to use one," Genta answered Mitsuhiko.

Jin turned around and approached them, his eyes holding a strange look that sent a pang of unease running down Ayumi's spine. The elementary girl's happiness that he had changed his mind overwhelmed her unease, though, and she smiled at him.

"Do you want to join us?" she asked him again.

Jin nodded. "Sorry I was rude to you before," he said, though his apology almost sounded… forced? Oh well, he didn't seem to be a bad person.

"It's ok. You were just nervous, right?" Mitsuhiko asked.

Ayumi smiled as Jin nodded. He really was a good person after all.

"I'm Ayumi, that's Genta-kun, and he's Mitsuhiko-kun. Do you want to join our group?" she asked.

Jin looked confused, "What group?"

Genta answered, his voice booming with energy, "We're the Detective Boys! We solve mysteries when our schoolmates need help. I'm the leader."

No one protested Genta's self-proclaimed leadership, but Ayumi secretly considered Conan to be the true leader. There was no denying that he was the one that solved the cases they'd come across.

Jin looked thoughtful and some type of realization seemed to hit him. Ayumi couldn't tell if the smile that spread across his face was really happy or really scary.

"Are Haibara Ai and Edogawa Conan part of the group," he asked.

"What is everyone's obsession with Conan-kun? He was the first one Haibara went to also," Genta exclaimed in annoyance.

Mitsuhiko just nodded and answered Jin, "Yeah, they're both in the Detective Boys. They're really smart and always seem to be whispering to each other. I wonder where they are… We usually eat lunch together."

"I want to join your group," Jin said after a moment of silence.

It was at that moment that two very unhappy members of the group re-entered the classroom from wherever they had gone to do who knew what.

"What are you doing!" Conan's yell filled the room, causing the students that hadn't left the classroom for lunch to stare at the shrunken detective.

Conan was obviously angry, and Ayumi couldn't understand why. Ai had a similar look even though she hadn't said anything. Both hurried over to the group, their eyes focused on Jin.

"We were just telling Karasuwa-kun about the Detective Boys. He's going to join us!" Ayumi answered, excitedly.

"As you know, I'm Karasuwa Jin. Nice to meet you," Jin said with that same creepy smile from before. Conan and Ai were silent, both staring at Jin as if he had grown another head.

Finally, Conan answered in forced politeness, "Edogawa Conan. Nice to meet you too." Ai still said nothing, and neither Ayumi nor the rest of the actual children could decipher the strange stare down between the three.

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AN: Well, this idea hit me before any ideas for the actual themes, so this is now hopefully going to be more than 100 drabble/one-shots. Hope you guys liked it.

Conan and Ai may seem out of character, but they know that Gin knows who they are, so I figured there might be a little open hostility towards Gin.

However, I feel Gin's sufficiently IC. He's there to find Conan and Ai, and he found them. I'm sure he's been through other elementary schools looking, and he's probably bored of acting so he let his BO-ness slip in a few expressions.

There might be another Bonus one-shot to explain how nobody dies if I can think of it.


	6. Nightmare

Over 100 Ways to Pass the Time

By: DarkWolfYoukai860

Theme 38: Dreams

Words: 345

Characters: Ran, Conan (sort of)

Nightmares

"RAAAAAAAAAAN!"

The scream seemed to shake the whole of the detective agency, making Mouri Ran flinch and rise from her bed. She sat up, debating on whether or not to go to the elementary child's side.

This wasn't the first night Conan had had nightmares. Recently the boy had yelled in his sleep every night or two (somehow not waking the oblivious Mouri Kogoro), and each time Ran had gone to comfort him, he had shrugged it off as nothing no matter how shaken he looked.

It worried her that such a young child would have so many bad dreams and never seek comfort. Of course, she had to expect him to have nightmares. He was only seven and had seen far too many dead bodies to count.

"Perhaps it's hurting him to be so involved…" she whispered to herself.

Another part of it that bothered her was the majority of his screams included her name. What could he possibly be so worried about that involved her? Unless, of course, it was her that ended up dying in those dreams of his.

Ran stood and exited her room, heading for her father's and Conan's room. Whether he told her what was wrong or not, she had to go to him. She couldn't leave an elementary student alone to confront whatever demons might be in his dreams.

She opened the door and whispered, "Conan-kun?"

There was no answer from the darkness, but she could see him there, already back into an uneasy slumber. Conan rolled slightly, beads of sweat still on his brow either from this developing nightmare or from the last.

Ran sighed and entered the room, closing the door quietly behind her. At the next quiet whimper from the sleeping boy, she lay down next to his little futon and brought him closer to her, comfortingly, as a mother would do for her own child and waited for his restless sleep to calm. Even if he didn't want to seek comfort from her, she would always be there to get rid of his nightmares.

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AN: So much for trying to upload every week… Sorry if anyone's actually reading. Writer's block is an old friend of mine.

This one came about from re-watching the opening scene of movie 13. I had to wonder how no one heard Conan's super loud scream, so I decided Ran should know. Anyway, please R & R.


	7. Unexpected

Over 100 Ways to Pass the Time

By: DarkWolfYoukai860

Theme 77: Test

Words: 311

Characters: Conan, Ai, DB

Unexpected

Conan stared at the paper in his hands in confusion. The shrunken high school student's mind couldn't wrap itself around what he was seeing. There was no way this was or should ever be possible.

"Conan-kun, is something wrong?" Ayumi asked, worriedly. She tried to sneak a peak at the paper in his hands, but he made sure she couldn't see.

Genta, however, took a more direct approach. As Conan continued trying to wrap his mind around this travesty, Genta came up behind him and snatched the paper from his hands.

"Wow, Conan, you got a lower grade than I did," Genta announced as he stared at the test they'd just had passed back to them.

The rest of the Detective Boys stared at him in a mixture of horror and astonishment as the brilliant elementary student glared at Genta.

"It's none of your business, Genta," he muttered, his voice laced with what almost sounded like an unspoken threat. Conan's harsh voice prompted the real child to give the paper back to him.

"I wasn't even trying on that test anyway," Conan said as he folded the test and put it in his desk. However, he could still feel laughing eyes watching him.

At that moment, the lunch bell rang, and the students filed out of the classroom. Conan was about to follow the other students out of the classroom, but felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to face Ai questioningly. They were now the only two in the room.

"I think I need a sample of your blood. Perhaps the drug is finally starting to mess with your intelligence," she said, her voice completely serious.

"Oi, oi," Conan muttered as he could see her serious expression turning into a smirk, "I really wasn't trying on that test, alright?" Of course, he knew he would never live this down.

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AN: This will never happen in DC canon, but I thought it would funny. Plus, it gives me a reason not to write a paper that's due Monday. Oh, wonderful procrastination tool. I hope I'm getting a little better at their personalities. Please R & R.


	8. Aching Heart

Over 100 Ways to Pass the Time

By: DarkWolfYoukai860

Theme 88: Pain

Words: 1,310

Characters: Ran, Shinichi

Aching Heart

Shinichi faced Ran as they walked through an empty park, the December air deterring most people from being out that evening. He was testing another antidote as well as trying to cheer Ran up. Recently, Ran had been acting strangely quiet, and Shinichi had figured she missed him again.

Throughout the day, Shinichi had started to worry about her even more. Ran had been extremely happy to see him but throughout the day her excitement seemed to wane. He'd caught her looking toward him with eyes fairly deep in thought. Now she was walking beside him with her eyes firmly directed towards the ground.

Shinichi was about to ask, but Ran beat him to it, "Shinichi, can we talk?"

Shinichi nodded, "Of course. What's wrong? You've been really quiet today."

He could see Ran bite her lip as if wondering if she really wanted to talk about what was bothering her. His childhood friend looked to the ground again before suddenly stopping completely. Her eyes finally tore themselves away from the ground and looked directly at him.

"I was going to ask you a question after the Shiragami case, and you said that you knew what it was. Well… I've been wondering if I really should ask you about it and…" She paused, and Shinichi could see her shiver, though he didn't know if it was from nervousness or the cold air.

Shinichi smiled at her in encouragement. He knew what she wanted to say to him, even if he didn't know exactly how she would say it. "Please, go on."

Ran looked no more ready to make a move after his encouragement, but she was finally able to force it out, "Shinichi… How do you feel about me? You always say 'wait for me' and 'I'll be back soon' and you even took me to a nice restaurant, but you also disappear randomly without a good bye or go weeks or even months without ever calling. I… I can't take not knowing anymore…"

Shinichi was silent as he waited for her to finish. There was something in the way Ran was acting that was off even taking into account her reluctance to speak about this topic that she, herself, had brought up.

Shinichi opened his mouth and found that he was equally reluctant to speak. Could he really keep telling her to wait for him day in and day out? Could he answer this question without the guarantee that he would return to her, even though he'd already asked her to wait for so long?

He could see Ran's resolve breaking as he hesitated to answer. "Ran, I…" He paused out of irrational worry. Why should he worry? He already knew how she felt. Finally, he forced himself to continue, "I really care about you, Ran. You're the most important person in the world to me."

Shinichi saw her eyes brighten momentarily, a flash of happiness he hadn't seen her possess since he had become Conan. However, her eyes didn't reflect genuine happiness for long. He could tell that something was still bothering her.

Ran shivered, though Shinichi didn't notice the cold wind this time. He was about to wonder about the sudden lack of cold wind, but he was distracted as Ran spoke again, "When are you going to come back for good? I don't know how much longer I can spend every day waiting for news, or wondering when you'll be back home, or…" she paused for the longest time and Shinichi wasn't sure if she was done speaking or not.

"Or?" he asked, softly. This conversation was starting to really worry him. Sure Ran had cried in front of Conan many times, unknowingly making him feel horrible about what he was doing to her, but the only time she'd ever talked to him like this was when she had to land a plane. Now that she was no longer in such an upsetting situation, he could see just how much his absence was tearing her apart and just how little she'd shown of her torn soul to Conan.

"Or worrying and wondering what you could have gotten yourself into that makes you disappear for so long and worrying if you'll ever come back. You've never taken so long to catch someone before, and I can't wait anymore…" Ran's eyes filled with tears that Shinichi could guess she had been holding in for the past week or two.

The high school detective pulled her gently into his embrace. His heart ached in his chest for him to tell her everything, though doing so would put her too close to the fatal flame of the Black Organization.

"Please, don't leave me anymore, Shinichi. I know it's wrong of me to ask you to stay her when you have that case, but I don't think I can handle not seeing you for weeks anymore. I need you," Ran pleaded. She sounded so fragile, so unlike the strong-willed girl he'd known since the beginning of his real childhood.

Shinichi's heart ached even more as he realized he was going to make this worse no matter what he did. He shouldn't have asked her to wait so long. Maybe he should have just rejected her as soon as his adult identity knew she like him. Would she have been more or less broken than she seemed to be now?

"I can't stop, Ran. I have to continue this case," Shinichi murmured just as he felt a pulsating pain envelop his body. '_Shit! Now of all times?' _He thought as another pain went through him. He couldn't leaver her right now. Not when he could see her hurt disappoint so clearly in her eyes.

"Why can't you stay?" Ran asked as she pulled away from his embrace. "Why do you keep messing with me? Can't you see I can't take it anymore? Do you really care about me?"

Shinichi cringed not just from the frequent pangs of pain he was now feeling but also from her words. "Of course… I… care," he answered, suddenly robbed of breath. He couldn't stop his hand from grasping at the pain in his chest. He knew he should be leaving right there, but that would hurt her more than anything.

Ran suddenly realized Shinichi's now pained look, "What's wrong?" Her eyes were filled with worry now replacing her hurt. Shinichi knew he shouldn't blame her. He must always look like he was about to have a heart attack when it came so close to the time limit.

He would hate himself for what he was going to do next, "Ran, I really need to solve this case, and I think… it would be best if I… go now." He could barely catch his breath as the pain was beginning to take over him. He had to get out o there. Why did this have to happen during such an important conversation?

"You can't go! You look like you're sick. Let's get you to the doctor," Ran insisted.

Shinichi shook his head and backed away as he tried to ignore the intensifying pain. Why was it coming so early? Ai had promised he would have the entire day and then some.

"Shinichi…" Ran began, but he didn't let her finish before turning and trying to run to the nearest bathroom or woods, or something that would conceal him. Unfortunately, his vision chose that time to blur from the pain and he tripped, falling to the ground.

He could hear Ran running to him and could sense her crouching over him, but her worried cries of his name were distant to him as he let out a scream of pain and his vision went black. '_Please don't let there be anyone else around to see this,_' was his only thought before surrendering to the inevitable unconsciousness of shrinking.

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AN: Here's another one from the procrastination train. This one sounds like it could be a good fic if I had a plot to go with it. Oh well. Please R & R. Now I really must work on my paper…


	9. Suspicion

Over 100 Ways to Pass the Time

By: DarkWolfYoukai860

Theme 16: Questioning

Words: 426

Characters: Mitsuhiko, Ai, Conan

Suspicion

Mitsuhiko watched Conan and Ai quicken their pace and begin to whisper together, something they'd done since they were children. The 17 year-old had always wondered what they talked about all those years and as they grew, he found their little side conversations to be suspicious.

What could they be talking about? What had they always been talking about? Looking back now, there were so many things to question about their actions in elementary school. How could Conan face a murderer with such calm eyes? How could Ai do a college level physics problem in her head to tell them if a car would plummet to its doom right before a bomb exploded them to pieces? The list went on and on.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he almost ran into Conan. They were at the split off point between the Detective Boys' houses and Conan and Ai's houses.

"I guess we'll see you guys later," Conan said. Mitsuhiko nodded in unison with Ayumi and Genta.

"See ya, Conan-kun! Ai-chan!" Ayumi said cheerfully as the two suspicious teenagers began to walk towards their own houses.

"Uh… I forgot something at school, guys. You should go on. I'll see you later!" Mitsuhiko said to the other Detective Boys when he deemed Ai and Conan out of sight.

* * *

Genta and Ayumi nodded slightly as Mitsuhiko ran off in the opposite direction of the school.

Mitsuhiko slipped quickly behind a lamp post as he noticed Conan about to glance back. There was no doubt his fellow detective knew he was being watched, but Mitsuhiko didn't want Conan to know who was doing the watching.

He let Conan and Ai get a little bit farther ahead before following them again. He wanted to get to the bottom of the strange feeling he'd started to get about two of his best friends.

It felt like forever before they reached the professor's house. Mitsuhiko sighed, however, when he realized he wouldn't be able to get into the house to listen. Perhaps he would never know what was so strange about his two companions.

* * *

"Did he give up?" Ai asked as Conan looked out through the closed blinds.

Conan nodded, "Yes, but there's no telling when he'll try it again. Those kids are too observant now."

Ai smiled slightly, "And who's to blame for that?"

Conan was about to counter but shook his head, "It was both of us. We never really thought about how our actions would sell us out in the future."

"If Kudo Shinichi had been able to return, it might not have mattered," Ai said quietly before heading towards her lab. The cure had been found to be too dangerous quite a while ago, but that didn't mean she wouldn't keep trying.

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I just can't stop procrastinating, can I? This one doesn't seem to be as good, but it was fun to write. Please R & R!


	10. Frozen

Over 100 Ways to Pass the Time

DarkWolfYoukai860

Theme 42: Standing Still

Words: 291

Characters: Conan, Suspect

Frozen

It couldn't be.

The crime scene was sloppier than most murders he'd investigated. The trick was hasty, not thought out, and a simple version of a case he'd already solved once before. A case where very few people had been present for the deduction show.

That couldn't mean it was true.

He looked over the suspects. Only one looked particularly uncomfortable even though she was low on the official suspect list. Her alibi was shaky at best, but all the investigating he had done to prove her innocence had been in vain. He hadn't even pointed out the evidence to the police yet.

What could her motive be?

He just couldn't put it together. He couldn't believe it. This was worse than the K3 case. He caught her eyes for a fraction of a second and saw a flicker of disgust for her actions before she looked away.

It was the truth.

He walked past her subtly tugging on her arm before exiting the room. He could hear her footsteps behind him. They walked through a few rooms before he stopped without facing her.

Time stood still.

Moments passed before he sighed. "I never would have expected this," he murmured, his voice shaking. Or was it his entire body that was shaking? He couldn't tell.

A sob.

He turned to face her, the light reflecting off of his glasses. A tear escaped, leaving a thin trail down his cheek. "Why, Ran?" He couldn't bring himself to talk to her as a child anymore. He could only talk to her as Shinichi even though his voice was Conan's.

Her arms were around him.

He could feel her body wracking with sobs, and he was sure she could feel his sobs as well. "I'm sorry, Shinichi. I'm so sorry…"

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AN: So, this could have been better if I could have thought up an actual murder that Ran would be capable of as well as a solid motive. Ran would never be proven guilty even if she actually was a suspect, but the thought of what it would do to Shinichi if she was proven guilty (by him no less) was a tempting topic. If I don't update again soon beforehand; Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year to any that are reading!


	11. Nothing Left

Over 100 Ways to Pass the Time

Theme 28: Sorrow

Words: 275

Characters: Conan

Nothing Left

The child sighed as he walked home from school. Days were a blur to him now. There wasn't any reason for him to take not of how much time was passing. Seasons were the only thing that kept him from losing all sense of time. Not that he cared. He'd lost everything else.

He had made a grave mistake. A mistake that had caused the collapse of his entire life, starting with Ai Haibara and ending with all related to the Mouri Detective Agency. He had ignored Ai's feelings; fallen for a well-placed trap that played off of a failed plan.

Okiya Subaru had been Bourbon. Okiya had exposed everyone, and the Black Organization had killed those around him one-by-one before he could lift a finger to stop them. The only ones who had remained alive were those who were part of the police or who had no association to him other than the occasional interaction; such as Kobayashi-sensei, who was obviously not a threat.

Why had he not been killed? He didn't know what allowed him to survive. He could always feel the gaze of one of their agents. He knew he was always under watch. But why had they not killed him liked they'd killed everyone else?

He had a theory, not that he cared that much now. Perhaps they wanted him to suffer more before ending his miserable life. Like Ai had predicted, they'd made sure he lost everything. However, knowing that he was broken, they left him alone, his suffering becoming their entertainment.

Now all he could do was hope for the day when their last shot would finally take him.

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AN: Well, this was depressing. Yeah, everyone's dead except Conan. My guess is, Conan's bugged and if he makes a move to tell anyone about the Black Org. he'd be dead too. This is just a quick what if one-shot to procrastinate from studying for a Zoology test.


End file.
